TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12427, 16 February 1901, Page 7

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

The following auctioneers’ announcements appear on page 11:—W. R. Harding, YV. Buss, Ayers and Parker fun, and W. F. SbftW.

All the civil cases set down for hearing at. the Stipendiary Magistrate's Court, on Monday next, will be adjourned until the following Monday, Owing to the accumulations of old age pensions business. The Exhibition Concert Company will give a concert in the Choral Hall, on Thursday next. The company includes Miss Clarice Hunt, of Nelson, a contralto soloist, Mr Kelbum-Heron, who comes here with first-class credentials for his singing in Melbourne, and the Chieftain Rftngiui.l, from • Gisborne; lire talented Maori musician.

The following is a statement of Customs dirties collected at Lyttelton during the week ended Feb. 15 :Spirits, £1565 5s 7d ; cigars, cigarettes and snuff, £lB4 11s 2d ; tobacco, £765 7s 6d; wine, £125 4s 8d; beer, £6 8s v-tea, £95 18s 4d; coffee, cocoa and chocolate, £4 16s; sugar, molasses and treacle, £266;' weight, £oTS 9s sd; ad valorem, £2788 19s ; other duties, £2OO 4s fid; total, £6163 18s Id. An unusual haul was made yesterday morning by somfe New Brighton residents. A number of straw hats were washed ashore; but the fears 'of some unknown shipwrecks Were removed when it was learned That the articles in question had been blown on tin previous evening from the heads of the wearers, who were among the crowd which had gathered on the pier to listen- to the playing of the Engineers’ Band. An amusing encounter took place between a Seaforth Highlander arid a Maori during the stay of the troops in Wellington (says the “ Post.”) The Seaforth, looking resplendent in full-dress uniform, attracted the attention of a stalwart Native, who remarked, “My -word, you look fine.” “Oh, yes,” admitted the Highlarider, “but you see it’s the clothes that do it. Why, you would look just aS Well as I do if you had this uniform on.” “ And a d—— sight better, too,” said John Maori promptly, and the man in kilts could only gasp with astonishment.

The results of a shorthand theory, examination held last Ttepember for pupils, attending .Mr H. W. L. Digby’s Shorthand and Technical School have arrived from Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, Bath, England. There w r ere fourteen candidates at the examination, all of whom have been successful in. obtaining Pitman’s shorthand ■theory certificates, and the following ate their names : —Misses Snow Wilson, M. Wilson, Jean Baxter, Maggie Kelly, Katie Kelly, J. Roose, Nellie Robson, Clara Robson, Violet Lyons, Colina Pyne, and Ella Stokes ; Messrs Keith Hadfield, P. Pavitt, and A. Marshall.

The annual general meeting of subscribers to the Papanui Library' was held last evening. The committee in presenting their report for the year stated the institution was on a sound financial basis. The credit balance at the end of the year was £3 4s Bd. During the year the books had been re-arranged and re-numbered, about 70 new books had been added, and a new book case erected. 4 The committee regretted the retirement through illness of the Rev H. T. Purchase, and wished for Ms speedy restoration to health. The balance-sheet was adopted, a new committee elected, and it was decided to spend the sum of £5 on books.

Stone’s Otago and Southland Directory for 1901, which has been issued, contains a large amount of useful information, bound up in a small compass. There are street, country, and alphabetical directories, and a special directory for trades, containing a list of banking and other financial institutions. Statistics are given with regard to the municipalities, counties, towns, and road districts in the colony, and there are a “ New Zealand Annual,” information with regard to schools, societies, railways, tele- , graphs', and postal regulations, and five maps of towns and parts of the Otago and Southland provinces. A specially useful digest of several Acts of Parliament is given. The information* has been collected from a wide area, and much care seems to have been exercised in preparing it for publicationMessrs Strange and Company’s great clearing sale is still attracting immense crowds of buyers daily, and the firm report that business is tremendously brisk. .Special inducements arc promised for to-day, and this evening. Not one of our lady-readers can afford to miss this sale. 9530

The market is flooded at the present time with worthless preparations for the hair, many of them being injurious as well as worthless, but Hendy’s egg-julep may be honestly recommended as a most reliable hair tonic for beautifying and cleansing the hair. Price, Is per bottle. This elegant preparation may be procured from Strange and Co.’s, drapers, Christchurch, who are also- sol© agents for Hendy’s Friz-

zaire, or curling fluid. X 2535 “Famous Humber Cycles.”—A shipment of these justly celebrated machines has just been landed by the Ango-New Zealand Cycle Company, and comprise all the newest models as shown by Humbers, Limited, at the recent Stanley Cycle Show, London. Inspection invited at the D.1.C., and 226, High Street. Xl9lß Bicycle repairs equal to the best English factory work. Bearings renovated to run equal to new machines. Boyd’s Cycle Works, Gloucester Street, Christchurch. 44 Built to order bicycles fit the rider, cost no more, give complete satisfaction, are rapidly superseding the “stock-built” bicycles. Oates, Lowry and Co;, Christchurch, largest cycle works in New Zealand. X 1571

Sun Brand Chutney.—Best in the world. All grocers. X 2775 ideal lyres are popular throughout Australasia, because they are honestly constructed front Moseley’s celebrated rubber and fabric, are resilient, durable, and carry a liberal twelve months’ guarantee. New Zealand Depot, A. G. Healing and Co., 222, Cashel Street, Christchurch. X 2721 special Notice to Anglers and the Public generally. —That J. Trist’s, 230, Cashel Street, opposite Zetland Arms Hotel, is the best house in town for all anglers’ requisites. The largest stock of reds in New Zealand to select from. Just landed, ex Tokomaru, new flies, minnows, casts, etc. Note address —J. Trist, Cashel Street, Christchurch; lata .WaJ/AlP#. ' ~ 'X2743

A meeting of the Trades and Labour Council will be held at 8 o’clock this evening and business of an important character will bh discussed. The Glass Works, in. Manchester Street, continue to attract the attention of the public, and may be considered to form one of the sights of the city. The Mayor has received a subscription of £3 3s from Mr F. E. Wright for the Jubilee Memorial Fund. Mrs F. A. Bishop has forwarded a donation of £5 ss. The valuation list for the City of Christchurch is now open for inspection at the office of the City Council. Any objections thereto must be lodged at the Magistrate’s Court on or before March 15. , Although the arrival of the troopship Cornwall at Albany lifts not yet been announced by the Press Association, several cablegrams. from men on board the vessel were received in town last night. On Thursday afternoon the. children attending the Church of England Sunday School, E-angirira, were given their annual treat at Eanlley. Sports and games made the time pass very pleasantly. Three cheers were given for Alias Dudley, who had permitted the use of her grounds for the occasion; The weather during the week has been veiy variable in South Canterbury, hot days With some fairly strong iror’-west breezes, alternating with cold sou’-westers and heavy showers. On the Whole, however, there has been little check given to the progress of harvest work, and no harm has been done by either winds or-showers.

Within the last two months Messrs J. T. Ford and Co, have selected arid shipped 217 Tong-woolled ramS, the bulk of them English LeicesterS, from registered flocks of high repute. The ranis have Been distributed to nine different buyers, seven in the North Island arid two in South Canterbury.

The Government has purchased Mr - JFreeman’s property of 32 acres at the bottom of Colombo Road at £9O per acre, for the purpose of close settlement. The.property is a portion of the original Packer Estate, and is well served with water by the River Heathcote, which runs alongside it. It is within a very short distance of the Port Hills tram and easily accessible from town.

The fourth of the present series of local wool sales will Open at the hall of the Chamber of Commerce at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, When a catalogue pi about 5000 bales will be offered. The following is the order of salePyne. and Co., N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co,, Ltd,, N.Z. Farmers’ Co.-rip. Association, Friedlande.r Bros., Ltd,, F. C. Tabari, J. T, Ford and Cri., H. Matson, and Co. and D. Thomas, Dalgety and Co,. Ltd. On Thursday a nuinber of riieriibfers ,of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society drove to Canington, front Tirnaru and Temuka, to inspect a bush sanctuary of 800 acres at the foot of the Hunter’s Hills, to ascertain its suitability for turning out opossump. and wallabies. The party encountered a heavy rain-, bub carried; cut its purpose, and formed; the opinion that thri idea of turning _ out such animals can be given effect to,’ but the matter will be further discussed on the visitors’ report to the Society. ; -

The Tirnaru-Harbour Board has made a start with the railing -of stone from their quarry for the near mple. One of the F class six-wheeled coupled engines has been hired from the Railway Department, arid by its means several trains of heavy rubble, up to 9 or 10 tons, have been brought down. The engineer in charge, Air A. G. Dobson, cannot make much progress until the stock of gear-is much added' to,' the appliances in the quarry being meagre as yet, and- requisites cannot be had at a moment’s notice. The first heavy blocks were tipped' on Thursday morning, at 'the root of the new mole, and a few persons present cheered.

: A meeting of the General Committee of the Jubilee Memorial Fund, with the subscribers, will be held in the City Council Chambers at 4 p.m. on Tuesday next. The business will be to receive reports of the sub •committees and to upon a. sit e for the memorial. The various proposals are:—To erect the memorial in the position now occupied by 4 ,the Godley Statue and to remove that statue and the Moorhouse Statue now in the public gardens to positions on either side of the Queen's Statue ; to erect the' memorial’ opposite the Grain Agency Buildings in High. Street, in the Market Square, or opposite ’the present City Council Chambers. . ELECTION PETITIONS. The depision of the judges in the Maidstone election case leaves two petitions arising out of the Imperial General Elections still to be dealt with. Sir Wilfrid Lawson has petitioned to have the election of Mr J. S.. Randles, Unionist, for Cockemouth upset on the ground of bribery; and the return of Dr R. Harris, Conservative, for Monmouth Boroughs is petitioned against by Mr Albert Spicer. The Cockemouth case will be beard on Feb. 26, and the Monmouth case on March 29. DISORDERLY VOLUNTEERS. The “Wanganui Herald’’ states that with respect to “ the disgraceful conduct of some of the West Coast Battalion at the Woodville refreshment rooms on the journey to Wellington on Saturday last,” a preliminary . inquiry has been held. On arrival of the returning train at the Woodville station the men were paraded, and in the presence of the • police, the waitress who was insulted passed along the' line with a view of recognising those who had behaved in an rngentlemanly manner towards her. It seems that she was able to distinguish the particular uniform worn by the offenders, but as several companies are attired almost similarly, the individuals responsible for the misconduct could not be singled out. .It is said that -the names of those, implicated are known to some of the non-commissioned officers, and it is undoubtedly (remarks the “Herald”) their duty to report to their senior officers, however unpalatable the duty may be. Otherwise the stigma will remain' on the whole of the West Coast Battalion.

THE PENNY POST.

The manager of the “Lyttelton Times” Company received by the la&t San Eranciseo mail evidence of the great interest taken in the establishment of the universal penny post. It is in the shape, of a letter from one of his many Home correspondents, who must have spent .(some of his “ Hogmanay ” time standing in the cold of an Old Country winter night, waiting for the town clock to strike the midnight hour, so that he might be able to write in pencil on the back of the envelope the following legend;—“This missive claims- to be the first posted; in England for New Zealand under the new Id system, and the first in the new century, being posted in Kendal at 12.1 a.m. , Jan. 1, ISOI. —W. T. Palmer.” The obliterating stamp of the Kendal Post Office is dated “ 11.45 a.m., Jan. 1, 01,” and would, of course, be put on in the forenoon, nearly twelve hours after, as there would be uo violent hurry to deal with a letter going to New Zealand, mails for which do not leave Great Britain every half-hour. THE COCKSFOOT HARVEST. The “ Akaroa Mail ” of yesterday has the following The last few days have been peculiarly favourable for the cocksfoot harvest and a great cpiantity of seed has been threshed. We are glad to bear that many parcels are very weighty, the wet weather having very fully developed the seed. We hear of several instances of seed weighing

151 b just through the riddle. Tho colour, too, is very fair indeed in triany oases, some being exceptionally bright. It is notorious that the seed that was cut before the hail has yielded far batter than that that was left standing. In the former case, if carefully lifted and carried, there seems to have been little or no loss, and there was no discolouration, except a little in places, of the seed next the ground. Given another fine week like the last few days, and the great • majority of the seed will be safely harvested. Owing to .the Iring delay many men have gone back to the Plains, and all available women and children have been pressed , into the service to take advantage of the fine weather. A HISTORIC COINCIDENCE. Earl Roberts, who, prior to leaving Cape Town, accepted the offer of the citizefts of Winchester, the Ancient and Royal Capital of England, to confer upon him the freedom of their city, has definitely fixed Alarch 1 next as the date for his visit. The occasion is of historic interest, being exactly eighty years since the freedom of the city was conferred on the great Duke of Wellington, on March 1, 1821.